HAPPY HOUR (AND A HALF) with Jennifer Reichardt of Raft Wines

Jennifer Reichardt was born and raised in Sonoma County, California and from day one, has lived a life centered in food production. As a fifth generation duck farmer, she watched as her father worked tirelessly to raise the best duck he possibly could, to deliver to chefs across the Bay Area. This passion for good, quality food, transferred to the way Jennifer approached a career in winemaking. In Autumn 2011, she completed her first harvest in Sonoma County and she was able to greater look into the inter-workings of what it takes to make a great bottle of wine. Since then, she completed four additional internships in Sonoma County as well as one in each Chile and Australia. In 2016, she embarked on creating her own wine brand, Raft Wines. A raft, by definition, is a community of waterfowl, like ducks, and the philosophy behind the brand is to craft a wine that is shared with a community — whether it be around a dinner table, or at a picnic with friends. Raft Wines focuses on hand-crafted, small lot wines from vineyards farmed sustainably and organically. She currently splits her time between the family business, Sonoma County Poultry, Liberty Ducks, and Raft Wines.